New beginnings
by unfortunateblessings
Summary: When Harry moved to the sleepy little town of Lima he didn't know what to expect. But this new life could be good. It could be great.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Author's note: This is going to be friendship for the first while. No threesomes. Ever. There may, eventually, be slash. Maybe.

Burt glanced over at the house across the street as he was getting the Sunday paper. New neighbors had moved in, though he hadn't actually seen anyone other than movers in the past week except a kid that looked about Kurt's age and a red headed woman who was probably the mom directing where things went.

Maybe he should go over and introduce himself? Burt frowned, going back inside. He didn't want to be one of those interfering nosy neighbors, but at the same time he didn't want to be rude or uninviting. Thankfully, Kurt came in at that moment, answering all of his problems.

"What are you up to today?" Burt asked, sitting down to eat a barely tolerable bran cereal Kurt insisted was good for him. At least it had some dried fruit in there to sweeten it a little.

"You wanted me to go over the shops books," Kurt reminded him.

"Right," Burt nodded. Kurt had started taking care of the bookkeeping this summer, the boy did it better and faster than Burt. Even his accountant had approved of the change. "You could put that off until tomorrow."

"Oh?" Kurt's eyes brightened, likely already planning to call Mercedes. "But you said you needed me to cover a full shift at the shop tomorrow. Jim's on holidays."

"It should be slow in the morning, you could do it then." Burt shrugged, "It's just, we've got those new neighbors with a kid about your age. I thought you might like to go introduce yourself or something."

"You've met them?" Kurt glanced towards the front of the house, like he could see across the street from there. "And?"

"I haven't met anybody." Burt grumbled, "I just thought you could make something. Like cookies or something. Be neighborly."

Kurt smiled, that knowing smile Elizabeth used to always have when she knew what Burt was up to even before he did. "I'll make those double chocolate brownies. The really unhealthy ones. "

"Yeah?" Burt's mouth was already watering. He hadn't had those brownies in months. Kurt was really picky about what he ate now.

"I'll have to go shopping." Kurt said, already heading to his room to get dressed. "I'll make sure to fill you in on all the gossip after I meet them." He didn't let Burt say anything about not caring about gossip.

* * *

Kurt glanced in the mirror, making certain his hair was absolutely perfect before squaring his shoulders and heading outside. His father was inconspicuously mowing the lawn, having started just after snatching a brownie and munching it down when he thought Kurt was distracted. Hopefully he wouldn't find the other piece Kurt had set aside for him until the next day.

He could hear a baby crying as he came up to the front door.

"One moment!" he heard after he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later the front door opened to reveal a very cute boy holding a screaming baby. "Can I help you?" he asked, his soft British accent making shushing sounds at the baby as he petted its back.

"I'm your neighbor from across the street," Kurt held up the tray of brownies. "Just wanted to say hello. I can come back later…"

"No, come in. Come in." the boy opened the screen door and stepped away. "If you'll just give me a moment, I need to change Teddy."

"Of course." Kurt went and sat in the living room, as the boy left to change the baby. The place was nicely decorated. The Chesterfield was an antique blue floral and ornately carved oak, as was the matching furniture. There wasn't a television, but an old fashioned gramophone stood next to a shelf with vinyl records. Kurt was just giving into the urge to go paw through them when the boy came back, quiet baby snuggled to his chest.

And what a chest it was. The boy was wearing soft red striped pajama pants and had obviously put on a cardigan to answer the door. His well-defined chest and abs were very much on display.

"Sorry about that," the boy shifted the baby to his left and held out his hand. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Kurt Hummel." Harry's palms were callused and his grip was very firm, Kurt noted. "And this is?"

"Teddy." Harry smiled down at the boy. "Well, Ted. But I call him Teddy."

"Is there anyone else in the house?" Kurt hadn't heard anyone.

"No," Harry smiled slightly. "Just me and Teddy."

"Oh!" Kurt smiled back, well aware of the bit of censure that the other boy would probably be receiving when the neighbours found out that bit of information.

"Do you want a cuppa?" Harry offered. "Or I think I have some instant coffee somewhere."

"Tea is fine," Kurt cringed a little at the words 'instant coffee'.

"You're a coffee snob then." Harry laughed, and led Kurt to the kitchen, which was all soft yellow and warm woods. He filled the kettle and put it on the stove.

"How can you tell?"

"Please. I know one when I see one." Harry gently set Teddy down in some sort of swinging basket. "Am I going to expect a lot of drop ins?"

"Maybe a few," Kurt admitted. They really didn't have the nosiest of neighbors. It was a good neighborhood. "You know, just to introduce ourselves and get the dirt. My dad would have come, he didn't want to appear nosy but he didn't want to be a rude neighbor either. So he sent me."

"Of course," Harry smiled again. "Do you go to school?"

"Yeah, I'll be a junior at Mckinley high this year."

"Junior?"

"In high school we have four years," Kurt easily explained. "Freshman is first year, then sophomore, junior and, finally, Senior year."

"Ah," Harry nodded in understanding. "So you're a third year student then."

"Are you all done school?" Kurt couldn't help but ask. Harry really didn't look like he was even sixteen yet.

"More or less," Harry shrugged. "I suppose you could say that I'm… what was the term… upgrading? Just a few courses long distance. I study at home, send in my work and will go in for the big exam at the end of the course. Should be finished by the holidays."

"And then?" Kurt asked, curious.

"And then we'll see." Harry shrugged. "I'll probably take some long distance college courses or something, but I'm mostly going to be a home dad for a few years."

"What about a job?" Kurt couldn't help but ask.

"No need," the water was boiling, so Harry went and filled the pot, bringing it back over to the table. "My parents died when I was young, but left me enough to live on for a bit. What about you Kurt?"

"Me?" Kurt shrugged. "Not much to tell really. I have two more years left in this backwater town and then it's off to New York city."

"New York?" Harry poured them both a mug of tea.

"Broadway, baby." Kurt sniffed the hot brew before taking a tentative sip. "This is nice."

"Thank-you. So you uh.. dance?"

"And sing," Kurt confirmed. "I'm in my high school glee club, but our stupid director always gives the solos to Rachel and Finn."

"Glee club?"

"Gaga, you don't know what Glee club is?" When Harry shook his head Kurt groaned. "It's show choir. We sing, we dance. It's a big thing. Didn't you have it at your old school?"

"No," Harry said, thinking back. "I know we had some sort of choir. But the only dancing was ballroom at the few formal events we had."

"What kind of awful school did you go to?"

"The private exclusive kind." Harry leaned forwards and glanced at the positively trendy look Kurt was sporting. "It was a boarding school. Complete with pointy hats, and large over-robes we were expected to wear all the time. I think I have photo somewhere if you want to see."

"I don't know," Kurt mused. "I want to say no, but at the same time I think I need proof that you're not lying to me."

"Watch Teddy?" Harry asked, when Kurt nodded, the boy left the room only to return a few minutes later with a photo frame… and a pointed hat.

"You weren't kidding?" Kurt looked at the thing in revulsion, but picked up the picture. There was Harry standing with his arm around a red headed girl. Beside him was another red head that made Harry look ridiculously short and girl who really needed a hair brush. He wondered if either girl was Teddy's mother. "It's an awful uniform." Baggy robe thing covered them like sacks. And the girls both had knee highs. That went out in the early nineties.

"Duly noted, but the pockets were pretty good to hide stuff in. You play any sports? I was pretty good at Rugby, captain of my team and everything."

"I played football for a while last year," Kurt admitted, internally debating on giving him the whole story. "I was the kicker and pretty good, but it wasn't my thing."

"You get hurt?" Harry guessed.

"No," Kurt shook his head. "I don't like getting sweaty or dirty. I was just trying to pretend I was straight. For my dad."

"Straight?" Harry blinked and tilted his head. "Like, the opposite of bent?"

"Yes," Kurt braced himself. "Like as in gay."

"Huh," Harry shook his head. "Is that something you were hiding? Cause with those clothes, that hair and the limp wrist thing you're doing. It was pretty obvious even without the dancing bit. So did you come out, as it were? Cause if you want to do it in style, my mate Seamus would tell you that getting caught shagging on the most hated professor's desk right after lunch was worth every detention he had to serve."

Kurt laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2

It really didn't take long for Harry to finish those brownies. Three days later and with a slightly sick stomach from failing to eat practically anything else, Harry was taking the plate back over the street. This time filled with his own special brand of cookies.

A middle-age man answered the door.  
"Hello." Harry greeted, holding up the plate. "I just wanted to give these in thanks for the brownies."

"Harry, right?" the man looked at Teddy asleep in his carrier in Harry's right hand and took the plate of cookies before shaking his left. "I'm Burt, come in."

They went into the kitchen where Burt immediately put half of the cookies in a bag and hid them at the back of the freezer. "My doc says I need to cut down on the sweets," Burt explained without Harry asking, "Kurt won't let me eat anything but rabbit food."

"Ah," Harry snatched one of his own cookies. "Then he can be assured that these are made of nothing but the finest natural ingredients."

"Oh?" Burt took a tentative bite and then a larger one.

"Butter, flour, sugar, oatmeal and raisins." Harry grinned. "One hundred percent natural."

"Right." Burt grinned, "I'll have to try that one on him. It won't work, but it might be funny. Milk? It's skim, but it's all we've got unless you want soya."

"Milk's fine." Harry glanced around, "Where is Kurt? I thought he said that he finished work by three today." It was five.

"He went over to his friend Mercedes." Burt shrugged, "Something about Vogue Italy."  
Harry didn't really know what that meant either.

"So how old is he?" Burt asked, looking at Teddy.

"Six months."

"And you're…?"

"Seventeen, but I'll be eighteen at the end of the month."

"And the mother?"

"Teddy's parents were friends of mine. I think his mum thought of me like a kid brother." Harry explained easily, Kurt hadn't asked before and Harry didn't often volunteer information but this man seemed to be trying to look out for his son. "They didn't really expect me to do more than spoil him rotten when they named me Godfather. But then they died in one of those Terrorist attacks last year on the metro and his grandmother was too old to take care of him. So he's mine. Legal age is sixteen back home."

"So he's not yours?"

"He's mine. Legally, that is."

Burt nodded, obviously thinking. "And family?"

"My parents are dead since I was a baby, the rest might as well be. And my girl-friend. Well, she was with them when the bomb went off." Ginny. Beautiful Ginny. He really had planned on marrying that girl. Maybe not right away. But she was the one.

Burt breathed in sharply. "Kid, I'm so sorry."

"It's all right. I can't say I'm over it. I'm not. But I have Teddy," Burt seemed to understand. He probably did understand. Kurt said his mom died when he was eight or something. "My friends didn't want me to come here. But I thought we could get a fresh start. I was pretty popular back home and people were always coming over, always waking him up. Always wanting to go out."

"I remember how that was." Burt nodded. When he and Elizabeth had Kurt it was suddenly really hard to do anything with their old friends who didn't have responsibilities and the like yet. And it happened all over again when he was clinging to Kurt right after she died. "Have you got a car? I haven't seen one."

"I don't have a license." Harry ducked his head, a little embarrassed. Most kids got theirs as soon as they were sixteen. But magical children didn't and, really, with the tube who needed one in London? "I've never actually been behind the wheel of a car. I've always taken the tube. The subway." He tried to get the americanese right.

"Well," Burt thought that over. "You really need a license in Ohio. You can take a course with the department of motor vehicles. Or you could just get your learners and I'll teach you."

"Yeah?" Harry ducked his head a bit. "I don't want to put you out."

"Naw." Burt waved it off. "Kurt said you have some money. Would getting a car crump your budget?"

"No. Not at all."

Just the way he said that gave Burt the feeling that the kid could probably afford to take Kurt shopping every day for the next fifty years and still be alright.

"I know a couple of people looking to sell their cars. Do you have any preferences?"

"Uh, safe? Like for a baby?"

Burt grinned. "I think we can figure something out."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer; I own nothing. So very poor.

Chapter 3

Three weeks later Harry was tentatively making his way to the mall with Kurt beside him. Burt had been as good as his word and he'd helped Harry get his learner's permit and a Honda SUV with very high safety ratings within a week. Now he and Kurt would drop by and invite Harry to drive when they needed milk or to drop by Burt's Garage to get something. They still took the back roads and Harry was paranoid about driving just under the speed limit, but he was getting more and more comfortable on his own. He'd even managed to parallel-park without Burt coaching him through it the other day.

"What did you need to get?" Harry asked as he settled Teddy into the soft brown carrier Molly had given him that kept the boy nestled to his chest and had a backpack on the back for all of diaper things and bottles.

"Some sheet music I ordered is in and there were a few things I wanted to look at."

"Weren't you just here with your friend last week?"

"Mercedes. And yes, but that was last week. New things come in every week. And I want to ogle the new Mark Jacobs jacket that came in."

"One hour," Harry half-laughed. "You get one hour and then I'm calling your father."

"Fine." Kurt crossed his arms, pouting a little. "But only if you let me dress you."

"Dress me?"

"You own like two pairs of identical jeans and five shirts." Kurt rolled his eyes. "You need more clothes than that."

"No I don't." Harry looked down at what he was wearing. The green t-shirt and jeans were new-ish. Bought just before he came to the states. He did in fact own three pairs of the same jeans. But that's because they fit. When he'd worn in his last pair, he'd gone out and bought three more just like it. He also had some long-sleeved button down shirts for when he needed to look a bit nicer. What more did a guy need?

Apparently a lot more. If it wasn't for Teddy and Harry's very firm one hour time limit, he was pretty sure the boy would have taken all day. As it was he'd gotten a new pair of slacks and another pair of jeans, two pullovers with wide loose necks in different designs and colour and a couple more t-shirts and cardigans. Harry had put his foot down about the skinny jeans or anything tight feeling, regardless of how much Kurt pouted. The same went for anything not machine washable. Harry might be able to fix it with a wave of his wand, but magically cleaned clothes were always itchy and he had a baby. Enough said.

It had taken some maneuvering. Harry hadn't wanted to put Teddy down to try on anything and Kurt was wearing something 'fabulous' but definitely not something that would make him holding Teddy comfortable for Kurt or the baby. So Harry had bought Kurt a baby acceptable shirt he was eyeing and let the younger boy put on the carrier after he had changed.

"Do you want to eat something?" Harry asked after they were done. The boy was peaking at the new fancy jacket Harry had bought him in thanks for getting him sorted for an American fall. Kurt had protested until Harry point blank told him it wouldn't even touch the interest he made in a week from his savings account. Even though the jacket did cost nearly as much as the rest of Harry's purchases put together. It was cool though, like a new version of an old bomber jacket. Besides the store only had the one in, coincidentally in Kurt's size and the lady said it would last for ever if Kurt took care of it.

"Here?" Kurt scrunched his nose up in disgust.

"Where else?" Harry laughed.

"How about we go back home where we won't have to risk food poisoning."

"Or we could go to that restaurant you've mentioned five times."

"Breadsticks? It's Saturday and nearly six. That's date night. It'll probably be full."

"Well it doesn't hurt to look, does it?" When the boy didn't look like he was going to cave Harry brought out the big guns. He lowered his head a bit so he was looking at Kurt over top of his glasses, eyes wide and lower lip pushed out, just a smidgeon. He could see the boy cracking in 3-2-

"Alright." Kurt sighed, ignoring Harry's victorious smirk. "But I'm driving, it will take forever to get there if you do it."

"Hey, I'm all for going fast when my son isn't in the car. And put me on a b- horse and I'll do stupid stunts to make your head spin."

"Horse?" Kurt caught on, "you can ride?"

"What part of poncy boarding school didn't you get? We literally had a train that was used eight times a year exclusively for getting us to and from school."

"I still don't get why, if you're rich, you're living in Lima."

"My friend Luna recommended here. And I figured why not. Now let's get some grub before my stomach starts to eat itself."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4

"This is it?" Harry couldn't help but question as they were seated. Kurt was right, that they were full though. But it wasn't even a little classy. One step above fast food restaurant. "This is your hot spot? The breadsticks aren't even fresh. They're those cheap things from the store."

"Would you keep your voice down." Kurt hissed, "I like coming here."

"Oh, all right, all right." Harry settled with fussing over Teddy. It was a good thing the kid was still practically bald with only a few tuffs of hair. Nora had warned him that Tonks had started changing her hair color dramatically from age of one or so. Teddy's hair already went darker when he was upset. Most people wouldn't notice, but at least he could hide it with a cap.

When the waitress came around he just ordered spaghetti. Hermione had told him ages ago that it was hard to screw up basics. Burgers, eggs and tomato sauce pasta were it until he trusted a place.

"You look tired," Kurt noted as Harry started playing peak-a-boo with Teddy.

"I'm trying to get him to sleep in his own room," Harry said, taking out Teddy's favorite stuffed dragon. It roared when Teddy hit it just right. "Apparently I'm babying him and catering to his demands too much."

"Says who?" Kurt asked, watching as Teddy repeatedly smashed the dragon around until it made sounds.

"Everyone," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've always just kept him in my room with me. But the books all say it's important that he feels comfortable even when I'm not around. I don't want to give him sort of daddy complex or have separation anxiety. Worse, he's started teething so we're having trouble sleeping and I have a major paper due next week but I don't have any of the books I need. I'm going to need to go to Columbus."

He hadn't set up an account with the library yet and magical travel was NOT recommended with any child under the age of two.

"I could take you." Kurt offered.

"What?" Harry retrieved the dragon from where Teddy threw it. "Kurt no. You and your dad have been really great to me. But I know he needs you at the shop right now and aren't you saving up your money for something? I'll just take the bus."

"With Teddy?" Kurt snorted. "And I was saving up for this jacket you bought me. I'm taking you."

"And you'll do what?" Harry questioned. "Teddy always settles down for an N-A-P for a few hours after lunch when I'd be doing my research. You'd be bored to tears."

"Which is why I'll be dropping you off at the library and then taking Mercedes out shopping." Kurt grinned, "Suddenly I have a surplus of cash. In the morning I can take you to some baby stores because, seriously Harry? Red is not Teddy's color at all. "

Harry was still hesitant, but didn't get to voice his refusal because a shadow fell across their table.

"Lady face," a Hispanic girl wearing a low-cut mini dress crossed her arms and jutted one hip out. "Push over, everywhere else is full."

"Friends of yours?" Harry asked as the boy sighed deeply.

"Dolphin!" a blond girl came up, leaning down to encircle the boy in her arms. "Santana promised she'd find someone to feed me and here you are!"

"Santana, I'm not feeding you."

"Whatever," she flapped a hand. "Move over, it's not like we're interrupting a date or anything. Are we?" She looked pointedly at Teddy.

"Oh a baby!" the Blond girl let go of Kurt to focus back on Teddy, making wide eyed faces that had the boy giggling.

"Come over here, Kurt." Harry got up, and waited for the dramatic boy to sigh and move across the way. Santana slid in first, so the blond could continue to play. "Who are your friends?"

"Santana, Brittany, this is my friend Harry Potter."

"Are you a dolphin too?" Brittany asked, still distracted. "Because last I heard two dolphins couldn't have babies."

"Err," Harry shot a quizzical glance back at Kirk.

"No, Brit," Kurt smiled in a way Harry distinctly remembered Hermione doing whenever Luna spoke of her magical beasts. "Harry's definitely a shark."

"Well shit, Hummel." Santana smirked. "Leave you alone for a few weeks and you move onto the British version of Puck."

"Were just friends, Santana." Kurt huffed. "Harry's my neighbor. Puck is a gleemate who managed to get the head cheerleader pregnant, Quinn, who's also in glee."

"Former head cheerleader." Santana was quick to correct. "No way is Sylvester going to take her back even once she's lost the thirty pounds she put on." She turned her gaze on Harry. "And what about you? You knock up the girl and take the baby?"

"Where's his mama?" Brittany simplified.

"Heaven," Harry answered. He heard Kurt breath in sharply. Oh, then Burt didn't bother filling Kurt in on Teddy's heritage. It was nice to know that what he said to the older man remained in confidence even from his son. "Terrorist bombing on the Metro, and I'd appreciate you not swearing around my son."

Santana looked like she didn't know what to say. She had that oh fuck look on her face. And Kurt was glaring at her for all that he was worth.

"It's okay, luv." Harry got out another toy – a unicorn which made Brittany squeal when he handed it to her.

"I love unicorns," she squealed. Immediately getting it to prance around Teddy's table top. "I'm sorry baby shark's mamma is dead."

"Me too," Harry smiled sadly.

"Harry…" Kurt began.

"Tell you what," he said to Santana. "Why don't you order what you want. My treat to show no hard feelings."

Santana smiled tentatively back before easily transforming back into her pushy shelf, grabbing the attention of a nearby waiter imperiously. "Yo. We want the house special and don't skimp on the garlic bread."

Harry, despite eating with teenaged girls for the past seven years, still couldn't believe how much they could eat. Between the two of them, they polished off two large bowls of pasta, a loaf of bread, two slices of cake and most of Harry's. Not to mention stealing more than half of Harry's meatballs while he was distracted feeding Teddy.

"So," Santana pushed her empty plate away from her. "You going to ditch the kid with the fairy baby sitter and come with me and Brit to see if we can make you feel like a man again?"

"Unfortunately," and here Harry was able to make it sound like was truly regretful. "You know those movies where people complain that they have no sex life after they kids?" he waited for them to nod. "Totally not lying. I see a bed and all I want to do is sleep."

"Well that sucks, your loss. Come on Brittany, let's go make out. See you fairy, baby-daddy."

"By Kurt! Bye Harry! Bye Teddy!" Brittany waved before running to catch up with her friend – girlfriend?

"I am so sorry," Kurt mumbled as soon as they were gone.

"Don't be, I like your friends."

"They're not really my friends."

"Sure they are." Harry didn't bother putting Teddy into his carrier as he'd have to switch to the car seat soon anyway. "There was at least two booths empty when they came by. And several boys they could have conned into feeding them. They sat with us because they're your friends."

"Hn." Kurt was quiet most of the way home. "I'm sorry about your girl-friend."

Ah. It really didn't matter what others thought of him. But he'd told Burt the truth and wasn't really keeping it a secret or anything. So he quickly explained his situation.

"You just adopted him?" Kurt asked, a bit incredulously. "I mean, good job. Well done and all that. But you basically gave up your life for him. You gave up school and girlfriends and, well, fun. You gave up being a kid."

"I never really thought of it like that." Harry mused. He'd never really gotten to be a kid. He was too busy doing chores, avoiding beatings, trying to save everyone or running and screaming. "I didn't think of giving anything up when I got Teddy. I'm an orphan with no close relatives. And suddenly I had a family."

And that was it. There was nothing more to it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5

Burt was a little worried about his son getting too close to Harry. He really liked the kid. He had no problems helping him out and spending time with him. The baby was already a real charmer to boot. But he knew Kurt had a crush on a straight boy before. And even if Harry didn't have a problem with Kurt being gay, he might accidentally break his boy's heart when he doesn't feel the same.

And now Harry bought Kurt one of his designer jackets in thanks for all the help Kurt's been giving him. Knowing that Harry probably hadn't even blinked at the price, just like when Burt had presented a 10, 000 dollar car, Burt didn't even try to make Kurt give it back. But if there was any way to make Kurt fall in love with someone, buying him expensive brand names was a good start.

"Kurt will you come to the living room?" Burt asked, already dreading the talk that they needed to have.

"Just let me put this away," Kurt trotted to his room taking a minute longer than Burt like before coming back. "Dad I wanted to ask if I can have a day off this week."

"Why?"

"Harry needs to go to Columbus to do some research for a class he's taking. He was going to just take a bus with Teddy, but I thought it would be a good time for me and Mercedes to do some shopping."

"Kurt we need to talk about this." Burt sighed, sitting down and leaning forwards with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, to look earnestly at his son.

"About what?" Great. Immediately Kurt was sounding defensive.

"About Harry."

"What about Harry?"

"Kurt," Burt sighed again. "Will you just sit down?" For a moment he thought he would refuse, but Kurt eventually sat, folding one leg over the other. "Did Harry tell you about Teddy's mom?"

"If you mean, if he told me about Teddy's real parents and his girlfriend dying in a metro bombing, then yes."

"Right," that made this a little easier. "Look, I'm not saying don't hang out with him. I like Harry, I do. But I'm asking you to be careful."

"Careful?"

"He's straight." Burt said bluntly, holding up his hand when Kurt was about to protest, probably that he knew that already. "Harry's a good man. He's kind, smart and honest. Just the type of boy I'd like to see you with. But he's straight. Not just straight, but he's a father of a baby that takes all his energy. He's a man who not only lost his good friends, but the woman he loved a few short months ago."

"Dad, I know all that."

"I know you do. But I needed to make sure. I needed to make sure that you know he's your friend and just your friend. Harry's not going to be ready for anything more from anyone for a long time. Maybe even years. I don't want to see you get hurt, Kurt."

During his talk, he saw his son go red then white with anger. He was so much like his mother sometimes. It made it easier as he could see the thaw towards the end.

"I know he's not gay."

"I know you do."

"I know he just lost somebody."

"I know you do."

"I know he doesn't see anyone beyond his son."

"I know Kurt."

"He'll never look at me, will he?"

"No," Burt said honestly, moving over to hug him. "He likes you as a friend Kurt. He'll be a great friend to you."

"I still want to take him to Columbus."

"I'll get Paul to switch a shift with you. He likes Saturday's off anyway. Wednesday."

"Wednesday's good." Kurt sniffed loudly. "Well, maybe it's best that he's not gay."

"Why's that?"

"He'd be an embarrassment to any fashion forward gay man out there. Do you know that before today his wardrobe consisted of three pairs of the same jeans, five of the same shirts in different colors and even two of the exact same button down shirt? He doesn't even get what's wrong with it."

Burt couldn't help but laugh. Truth is, he kind of thought that would be the way to go himself.

* * *

Author's note: Don't expect me to update everyday. Or, sometimes, every week (I've got a vacation coming up). It was just bothering me to be under 5000 words. Now I've got to play catch up.

Thank-you all for your reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 6

"So I'm finally meeting this new man of yours?" Mercedes demanded.

"He's not my man and yes," Kurt sighed. He'd gone over to pick her up for their trip an hour early, knowing that she'd want to gossip before they'd be able to leave. "He's straight. I told you."

"Right after you told me about his great smile and beautiful green eyes."

"That's because he does have a great smile and beautiful green eyes. And a baby."

"Yeah, the baby is a bit of a deal breaker," she pulled out a bright purple shirt with sparkles.

Kurt scrunched his nose. "Didn't you say that one was scratchy last time? Do you really want to be stuck in a car for four hours wearing it?"

"Good point." She went riffling through her closet. "You never mentioned what happened to the mother."

"She died. Don't bring it up."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"It's really not my place to say," Kurt ignored her pointed glare. "Really. She died and it was tragic and he's all torn up about it. I'm not going into details."

"Fine. What about this. It's comfortable and stylish." She pulled out a black cotton stretch dress and green leggings.

"Perfect. Now what about accessories?"

They were late going to pick Harry up. Mercedes didn't want to stop drilling Kurt about Harry and Kurt didn't want her to be drilling Harry in the car. He apologized but the man just smiled and held out Teddy's bag.

"Do you mind if I sit in the back?" Harry asked Mercedes after introductions. "He's due for a nap soon and he always gets a little cranky when he wakes up."

"I'm absolutely fine with riding shot gun." Mercedes grinned, pleased. "He's cute."

"Not just cute," Harry corrected, nuzzling Teddy's belly as he strapped him in. "The most adorable baby in the world."

Kurt nearly laughed when Mercedes shot him a look, asking if this guy was for real.

"So, Harry," Mercedes began when they got started. "My boy Kurt tells me you passed up on the school's bicycle."

"School's Bicycle?"

"Santana. You know. Everyone's had a ride." She laughed at her own joke, but Kurt could see Harry frown slightly in the mirror. "Why'd you pass your turn?"

"I don't have sex outside of relationships." Harry replied softly, "And I definitely don't use girls who have low self-esteem."

"Low self-esteem? Santana? That girl's a ho, true. But she's up in everybody's face about it. She's proud of it."

"I imagine she wants other people to think that."

Mercedes wanted to argue, but Kurt just put a hand on her arm to stop her. "I have the new release of the Jersey boys soundtrack."

"If I have to listen to a whole bunch of white boys sing, we're listening to my music the way home." She glanced back to Harry. "You got a problem with that, white boy?"

"If you could avoid music that has excessive swearing?" Harry requested. "I'm really trying to get his first word to be Daddy."

"I think I can manage that."

Harry was relieved when Kurt dropped him off at the library just after lunch. Mercedes was… something. Like Parvarti except really pushy and angry at the same time. Harry could see why Kurt liked her, but he'd prefer taking the girl in small doses.

Of course, instead of actually going through the main library doors, Harry took an abrupt turn as soon as the car was gone, heading down the block to the Columbus wizarding district. This was another reason why Harry had chosen Ohio. There was a fairly large wizarding population located here and only an hour and a half away from the town he'd decided to reside in. Westerville and a few others were too close. Lima was just far enough away that he wouldn't get bothered for no reason.

He headed into a rundown little café, nodding politely at the barista as he made his way to the back. Running his wand along the top of the door jam, Harry waited for a moment before opening the door to see another café, the other half of the one he was just leaving.

"Mr. Potter," the barista, an older woman, smiled at him. "You doing some shopping?"

"Just a visit with the book lender." You need me to pick up anything?"

"No, no." She waved him away. "You just come get a good cup of jo before you go, you hear?"

"If you change that to chocolate, I won't disappoint you." Harry grinned, heading out.

Bertram Square, named after some hero or another, was a lot more metropolitan than Diagon Alley. Everything was clean and organized behind newer buildings. The streets were cleaner, the shops piled on top one another, so you would go up the stairs to visit different stores. Kind of like a mall, except more labor intensive.

There were different bookstores and stationary shops. Several restaurants and even two magical menageries. The book lender Harry needed to get to lived on the fifth story, up ten flights of stairs. Harry was a bit out of breath when he got there. Thankfully Teddy was still asleep despite all the jostling.

A book lender is different than a library. A book lender basically rented you books. And it required a proper account set up with the bank to make certain you didn't simply 'borrow' a book and never return it. But the books he had were valuable and much harder to get than simply going to a bookstore or library, which is where he'd be heading afterwards.

"You got the papers?" the old man behind the counter didn't even bother getting up.

"Here," Harry pulled out his certified bank tab. It was more or less like a credit card system but only for one business per tab. His account would pay the tab at the end of the month so long as Harry didn't contest any prices.

"All right, you know the rules. Limit of five books. Anything you lose will cost you five times the market value per book, plus the late fee."

"Do you do Owl Service?"

"Have you got an Owl?"

"I'll get one." It would be hard to replace Hedgwig, but practically impossible to operate without a mail bird. "Until then, do you accept orders by muggle mail?"

"I'll not be running my owls ragged. One book at a time is all they'll do," the old man grumped, but wrote down an address on the back of a bookmark. "Send the list. Should take up to five days. Extra charge for handling fee."

"Fine," Harry pulled out his list. He'd finished his practical exam for Defense Against Dark Arts in his home a few days ago. Now all that he needed to do was ace his final research project on the essentials uses for combative vegetation in home defense. He had an impressive array growing in his small green room. The project would be giving him his NEWT in both DADA and herbology. Next he would be focusing on Ancient Runes, Transfiguration and Potions, to be finished around Christmas. Harry was pretty excited about his project for that one. Another joint venture, but his academic adviser agreed that, if he could pull it off, it would result in a definite pass in those three subjects. It might even let him pass the Arithmancy NEWT with all the studying in that subject he'd need to do. Hermione would be so proud.

Harry was very close to being late by the time he'd gotten the things he needed, shrunk them down and practically ran to the meeting place, turning putting the battery back into the mobile (even if he turned it off, there was a chance that the thing would explode if the electrical parts were all connected when he went into the magical world) it rang just as he put the plate back on.

"Hello?"

"Harry," Kurt's voice sounded so distant on the phone. "We're running a bit behind. We'll be there in twenty minutes.

"Take your time, Teddy and I will be at the park across the way."

It was nice to put out Teddy's blanket and let him roll around in the shade. Harry kept an eye on the boy while glancing through his muggle friendly book on dangerous plants from different rainforests. He had a few of them already. And as soon as he was finished his project, there was a greenhouse willing to take them off of his hands. Then he'd stick to something more child friendly. Like daisies.

" Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities?"

Harry looked up, closing the bright green book. "Botany class. It's probably not going to be useful for my project, but it is interesting."

"And what's your project?"

"I'm just comparing how different strains of several plants developed over different countries. Like the Carrot, did you know that the first carrot was thought to be purple. They're pretty sure the orange things we eat today was created through careful cross breeding."

"Why?"

"Maybe because the purple stained their teeth?" Harry glanced around. "Where's your girl?"

"In the car. Shall we go home?"

"Ah Kurt," Harry picked up Teddy and held out a hand to make Kurt help him up. "You just spoke the magic word."

* * *

Author's note: Tada! I worked really hard on this story today, just for you guys. Next chapter we will be introduced to Puck.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 7

"When's your birthday?" Burt asked one day while he watched Harry make stew. Kurt was spending time having a 'girls' night' and the boy had offered to feed the other man.

"July 31st, why?"

"Kurt's been wondering. He's going to be miffed that you didn't say your birthday was a couple of days ago."

"Why didn't he just ask?"

"I don't know, he's Kurt." Burt shrugged, drinking the beer he'd brought over. "Happy belated birthday."

"Thanks. You like spicy?" Harry held up a bottle of tobasco sauce.

"I do, my body doesn't. You do anything?"

"Just a little then." Harry put in a few drops, then sliced a lemon in half, squeezing the juice into the stew. "I called my friends back home. We had a good talk. The lemon brings out the heat in the flavor. Taste."

"How are you such a good cook?" But asked, taking a sample while Harry started to put together dough for some biscuits. "Everything I've tasted of yours is amazing."

"Isn't Kurt a good cook?"

"He is and I don't know where he gets it," Burt admitted, "But it's not always good, so he mostly uses tried and true things and he uses recipes. I've never seen you use a recipe."

"I like cooking," Harry said, kneading the dough a bit more before rolling balls and tossing a few into the stew for dumplings, the rest was rolled out and cut up into squares for the oven. "I used to cook for my relatives when I lived with them. It was one of my chores."

"One of your chores?"

"Don't worry about it. Did your wife cook?"

Burt let it go, but little things Harry had said over the past nearly two months were starting to add up. He really wanted to meet this aunt and uncle of his. Just once, so he could do something violent and probably end up in prison.

"She mostly burned things. I always said that my wife worshiped me like a god, she gave me burnt offerings every day."

"I bet she smacked you every day too."

"That she did." Burt paused, "so you're eighteen now."

"Yep. Any advice?"

"Don't do anything illegal because it'll go on your permanent record?"

"Good advice."

"I know." Burt took another mouthful of beer. "You know, if you want, I could take care of Teddy for an evening sometime."

"So I can do what?" one eyebrow perked up.

"Go to a movie, sneak into a bar. Do something a young person would do."

"This just after you told me that what I do now effects me for life."

"Offer stands. It's good to get out once in a while."

"I'll think about it."

* * *

Thinking about it is exactly how Harry met Noah Puckerman.

It was Friday night, Burt came over to babysit Teddy around nine o'clock. It felt late already to Harry, but he knew none of the good bands would be on until ten or eleven at the earliest. And, really, Harry didn't drink much, but he liked going to a pub, getting a pint and jut sipping it slowly while listening to a game or to music at a club.

The guy at the door didn't even bother to ask for Harry's I.D., which was good because Harry only had his real one. Not that a glamour would have been hard to perform. So there he was, minding his own business, when this guy comes and practically slams into the bar, a half-naked thirty-something all over him. It would have been fine if their impromptu snogging session didn't role over onto him. Literally. He got beer all over him.

"Hey! Hey mate," Harry pushed to two off of him. "Keep the PDA to your side of the counter." He wiped at his wet pants with the towel the bar tender passed him.

"Are you fucking with the Puckerman?" The guy was pretty big and muscled. Even drunk, Harry could see he was a fighter. He even had a ridiculous Mohawk.

"No," Harry held up his empty cup and the bartender started pouring him another. "Not here to fight, man. Just want to get buzzed and listen to some tunes."

"Honey," the woman moaned, slobbering on the 'Puckerman's' neck, "You're so hot when you're worked up. He was totally fucking with you."

"He was. You are." The last was said to Harry. "You're fucking with me. Puckerman. The puck. Puckzilla. No one fucks with Puckzilla, Puckzilla fucks with you."

Wait Puckzilla? Puck? Something was jogging his memory. "Puckerman." Harry said slowly. "Noah Puckerman?"

"That's me!" Noah stood up straight, proud, then peered at Harry. "I don't know you. Do I know you? You don't look like a geek. Are you? Did I beat you up last year?"

"I doubt it," Harry answered. "I finished school some time ago." He glanced back at the bartender and tilted his head back towards Noah. The guy shrugged, which meant either he didn't know or the boy was drunk even before he showed up. Oh well. Not his problem. Harry sat back down.

"You ignoring me?"

"Course not. Just getting buzzed man. Order yourself a beer."

"I think he's mocking you." The woman murmured.

"Do you get anything if he beats me up," Harry asked her. This was the second time she'd encouraged the boy to fight him.

"Hot." She bit on the boy's ear. "If you trash him, I'll let you do anything you want."

"Anything?"

"An-nee-thang."

Harry didn't bother to wait. He got off his stool, backing up a few paces. The moment the boy took a drunken swing at him, Harry was under and delivering a solid uppercut to his jaw, followed by a roundhouse supplemented with a wandless stupefy just in case. The Puckmeister was out for the count.

"You should stop encouraging minors to fight in a bar," he spat at the woman. "Now I'm going to have to spend my first night away from my kid in months taking care of a grown one."

The bouncer was surprisingly friendly, helping Harry carry the boy to his SUV.

"You okay to drive?" he asked when Noah was packed away.

"I didn't even get two mouthfuls before he was on me," Harry sighed. "Did he have I.D. on him? I don't know where he lives."

"I didn't find anything in his pocket other than some money and I.D. for a Mr. Ben Dover."

Harry snickered. "I'll take him home then. He can sober up and leave in the morning."

"Good man." Really, the bouncer was probably just happy not to have to deal with cops asking why a minor was drunk in their bar.

Which is how Burt got to see Harry half carrying, half dragging Noah Puckerman through his door not even an hour after he left.

"Harry?"

"He's drunk, I don't know where he lives. But Kurt knows him, I think. Noah Puckman or something. Glee kid."

"Puckerman. Do you want to take him to my house? I know someone who'll be able to get into contact with his mother."

"Nah," Harry roughly shoved the boy onto the couch. "Let him sleep it off. It'll be good for him when Teddy wakes in the morning."

Unfortunately just as Burt got to the door there was the undeniable sound of retching.

"You sure you're okay?" Burt asked as Harry grimaced.

"Go, go now before I give in."

Burt smiled. "Just think of it as practice for when Teddy gets older." And yet more retching sounds followed.

"If my son ever comes home that drunk he'll be sobering up in the shower before bed and woken up at dawn by a marching band. If it wasn't late notice, I'd be tempted to do the same to the puck kid."

"You could scare him a little."

"That's a given."

* * *

Author's note: And thus we meet Puck. In a traditional Puckish fashion. Muah ah ah ah ah.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warning: swearing. I don't think it's bad enough to warrant an 'M' rating. But if you think so, let me know.

Chapter 8

It wasn't the first time Noah Puckerman woke in a strange bed with a killer hangover and no idea how he got there, but usually he could find his pants.

Consciousness came to him slowly. The feel of crisp starchy sheets under him was the first clue he never got home. And then there was the clean soapy smell his room and usual haunts sure as hell didn't have. Puck cracked an eye open and groaned, holding a hand to his head at the pain. Bright white light speared into his head. Not wanting to risk opening his eyes again, Puck felt around to see if there was anyone in bed next to him. Nothing.

Okay. That was probably good. The last thing he wanted to have was a housewife or something freaking out on him and shouting for him to get out when he was suffering the hangover of all hangovers. Oh God he moved a little too much just then. Staying still helped combat the immediate nausea.

What the fuck had he been thinking? Puck hadn't been stupid enough to get that drunk in ages. Braving the morning light once more, Puck opened his eyes a crack and squinted to take a look around. Okay. White room, which meant the morning light coming out of the big ass window was reflected on everything. It probably looked good when he wasn't wishing his lay had been kind enough to draw the curtains. There was a closet, a chair, the bed and a night stand that had his phone, keys and a few coins.

Right, phone. Puck heaved himself up, holding onto his head and slowly grabbing the cell in an effort not to move too much more. His stomach wasn't handling it well. Ten fucking A.M. he was supposed to be home watching Sarah. He debated calling, but his mom would have found her a sitter by now and all he would get is screamed at. Better wait for later.

Puck rolled off the bed, searching for his clothes. He managed to find a sock and his converses. He was considering heading out to find last nights' lay to ask what happened to the rest when he heard the worse sound ever; a baby cry followed by a distinctly male voice.

The bitch had brought him home and fucked him in the guest bedroom. Yeah it'd happened before, but usually they got him out before their old man came home or woke him in the middle of the night. The last time something like this had happened, a revenge fuck, he'd gotten the shit beaten out of him.

Puck's mind set to total escape mode. No time for clothes. He put on his shoes and waited for the husband to move away. Downstairs from the sounds of it. Grabbing his shit, Puck snuck out and down the stairs as quietly as possible. His headache was killing him and he could barely see two feet in front of him, but a quick look around hadn't shown anything. Time to make a run for it. He'd call Finn to pick him up when he got a few blocks away.

"Ahem."

Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck. Fuck!

"Are you honestly going to sneak out in your skivvies?" A smooth accented voice asked.

Don't let him be huge. Don't let him be huge, Puck prayed as he lifted his hands in surrender and turned around.

No wonder he hadn't seen him. The guy was wearing a white t-shirt and light grey sweats. And he was pasty. He blended in to the walls.

"I've done it before." The guy wasn't that big. He could probably take him. But then the guy shifted, just a bit. Just enough that Puck knew this guy could fight. Suddenly he remembered a punch coming out of nowhere. Maybe he'd already gotten his revenge in?

The guy snorted. "I don't want my neighbors seeing you leave like that. Wait a few. Your clothes should be dry by now."

"Er… so I didn't…" A horrible thought occurred to him and Puck's eyes widened. "WE didn't…?" His ass didn't hurt. His jaw did, but that was from the punch. Right? RIGHT?

"We did not." The guy looked even more amused. "You interrupted my first night out in months by starting a fight with me when all I was doing was drinking my beer. When you were out cold it was take you home to let you sleep it off or let the bar call the cops to take you to a drunk tank,"

"Thanks man," Puck let out a breath he was holding.

"Come to the kitchen and we'll do something about that hangover."

Puck followed the guy into a yellow kitchen. There was a play pen in the corner next to a set of patio doors. A cute kid was playing with a stuffed toy. A dragon or something. "You got a name?"

"Harry." The brit – he sounded british – rifled through a cupboard above the sink until he pulled out a test tube with a cap on it. Shaking up the orange liquid until it was all one color, he held it out. "Don't ask what's in it. You don't want to know. Nasty, but it works."

"I'll try anything. Puck unstoppered it, opened the back of his throat in an effort to not taste anything and downed it in one gulp. He was on his knees retching in the next second. It was disgusting. Like the dredges at the bottom of a trash can except worse. The taste coated his tongue, burned down his throat. He tried throwing up, but nothing was coming out with his dry heaves.

"What the fuck was that?" he demanded when the worst of it abated. A bottle of water appeared in his field of vision. Puck ripped it out of the guy's hands and gulped it down in an effort to drown out the taste.

"Hangover cure. You hungry?"

Puck was going to say 'fuck no' when he realized, to his surprise, that he kinda was now that the disgusting taste was going away. "Can you make it kosher?"

"That's like no bacon and no mixing dairy and meat, right?"

"More or less."

"Pancakes?" the guy offered. "I do it from scratch."

"Awesome." Puck said, though he was a bit distracted. Now that he could see properly, he realized that this guy, Harry, was a lot younger than he'd thought. "Are your.. uh… parents gonna be by any time soon?"

"No, I live alone here with my son."

"Son?" Puck looked at the guy. "You're like, what, fifteen?"

"Eighteen." Harry started pulling out things like flour and milk to make a batter.

Puck sat in a chair close to the pen to watch the baby play. "He's cute. What's his name?"

"Teddy, he's seven months." Harry added, it was probably a common question.

"I've got a kid." Puck said abruptly. "Three months." Three months yesterday.

"That's a good age," Harry was saying. "They recognize people's voices then and are actually sleeping through the night."

"I wouldn't know." Puck slouched in the chair. "Beth's mother wouldn't keep her."

There was a pause. "It might be none of my business." Harry said quietly. "But did you know that you could have? Taken her, I mean."

"Who'd want a screw up like me for a father?" Puck ran a hand over his Mohawk. "I'm not stupid. I couldn't have managed it on my own. Not like…" his throat close up. Here he was talking to a guy who had done just what Noah wished he'd had the guts to do.

"Having a kid isn't for everybody, Noah." Harry put some of the batter into a pan. "I gave up a lot for Teddy. I was supposed to become a police officer or go into the military, but you can't even do the training if you're a single dad. Too many hours. And then I could die and leave him all alone. I lost a lot of my friends because they just didn't understand what I was doing or why. Truth is, if I wasn't financially set I'd probably have found him a home that would let me visit and carried on with my life."

Puck was quiet for a minute then something Harry had said got through to him. "Hey, you know my name."

"You introduced yourself at the bar," Harry flipped the pancakes. "And I'm friends and neighbors with Burt and Kurt Hummel. I heard a story about your… uh ventures with older women.. and it fit with how I met you."

"Hummel?" Puck repeated.

"Across the street."

"Fuck, are you going to tell him? Cause if you do, I'll be the laughing stock of the school."

"I won't say anything, but Burt was babysitting last night. He recognized you when I brought you in."

Puck groaned. Perfect. He knew Finn's mom was dating the guy, and as soon as she knows so will his mom.

"Best not to think about it." Harry recommended, setting a plate with two pancakes coated in butter and syrup. Really good fruity syrup.

"These are good." Puck complemented him as Harry went and picked up a whining Teddy. He ate steadily, watching as Harry entertained his son by bouncing him up and down on his knee and making funny noises at him.

"Can I.."

"Yes?"

"Could I hold him?"

Green eyes searched him speculatively. "After you finish eating, wash your hands and put the plate in the sink. I'll set up an area in the living room for you to play with him, if you like."

"Yeah," Puck smiled a bit. "That'd be great, thanks."

It was fun playing with Teddy, Puck thought. Harry had gotten him his clothes, so he wasn't practically naked anymore and he was entertaining the little bugger for an hour until the kid began to get cranky.

"Ohh," Harry swooped in to cuddle his boy. "Someone's getting tired. It's time for a nap." He nestled the boy up against his chest and made soothing sounds while patting his back. Soon enough the boy was asleep.

"I could drive you home, if you like." Harry offered. "Or, if you want, there's a library upstairs."

"A library," Puck blinked. "Don't you have a t.v.?"

"Oh. No. I suppose I'll get one eventually, but I don't really watch t.v. I went to a boarding school ten months of the year and we didn't have television there either. I'm just not used to it."

"No t.v.?" Puck gaped, "So you don't play video games or watch movies or anything? You just read?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Dude!"

"There's a few books you might like. Some science fiction. A history on how beer changed the world. A couple books on pirates."

Puck was going to tell the guy to just take him home, but then he figured then what? He'd be just as bored at home alone. He knew for a fact that Finn said he was going to be busy today and he didn't feel like going to hang with his other friends, who were probably just as hung over as he should be. Plus, learning cool facts about beer wasn't dorky or anything. Was it?

"Where is it?"

* * *

Author's note:

Enjoy the chapter. I won't be updating for two weeks as I'm going on vacation!

And, to answer someone's question. I update multiple chapters because I update them when I've finished them. And I don't see why I should just mush them into one long chapter when I like the flow of the short ones.

I will work on this story while on the plane. But I'm also trying really hard to update a new chapter for my other story. I've rewritten the blasted thing two dozen times. It just doesn't flow properly.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 9

Four days later Harry was working on making Teddy's weekly supply of pureed vegetables and fruits during the few blessed hours the boy slept. Teddy had caught a cold from one of the other babies in the play group Kurt found for him. Since potions weren't recommended for babies, he was forced to deal with it the muggle way. Suffer through it. Kurt was over, trying to catch Harry up on twentieth century pop icons by playing them quietly on his laptop and practically giving Harry a history lesson after each one.

"So the dream girls weren't an actual group?" Harry asked. He remembered his aunt playing music from the Dream girls before he went to Hogwarts.

"It was a Broadway musical based on the Supreme's." Kurt sometimes thought that Harry had been transported from the nineteenth century. He didn't even know practically any British icons. "How you can't even know that…"

The doorbell rang.

"Will you get that?" Harry asked, starting his washing up. "If its girl guides, I have money in that purple vase by the door. Two boxes."

Kurt rolled his eyes. Harry made very good cookies and deserts himself, but he'd become positively addicted to Girl Guide cookies and someone had let out his name and address. There wasn't a week that went by without some little thing in braids and an ugly uniform knocking on the British boy's door. If Harry didn't go running for an hour everyday (with Teddy in a jogger stroller) he'd probably get ridiculously fat in no time.

He was already reaching for the stashed twenty when he opened the door to see "Puckerman?"

"Hummel." Puck looked around Kurt into the house. "Is Harry here?"

"Harry?" Kurt crossed his arms, "how do you know Harry. Better yet, what do you want with Harry?"

"Fuck Hummel, just get the man, will you?"

Kurt was going to say that he definitely would not, but Harry was already there, drying his hands on a dish cloth.

"Noah," Harry smiled, but not at Puck. "And this must be Sarah. Come in."

For the first time, Kurt noticed the little girl, she must have been ten, standing just behind the bully.

"Sarah," Harry bent down so he was at Sarah's height, smiling at the smaller, feminine, and much more delicate looking version of Puckerman. "Noah's told me all about you. How do you feel like a snack? I just made some granola bars and they're really good." They were trying to help Burt get his cholesterol levels down by offering him healthier snacks than chips and donuts.

She glanced up at Puck who was standing beside a lost looking Kurt.

"Go on." Puck pushed her forwards a bit. "If Harry says they're good, they're probably awesome."

"Come on," Harry coaxed. "Noah's just going to wait in the living room for a bit of a chat."

"What's going on?" Kurt demanded when Harry and the girl were gone. "Because I know exactly what Harry planned for today and it certainly didn't involve you Puckerman."

"What the fuck does it matter to you Hummel?" Puckerman growled. "I'm here. This isn't your house is it?"

"Harry's my friend," Kurt snapped. "Which is more than you can say. What. Did you run out of friends to screw over so you need to impinge on mine?"

"Impinge?"

"It means to encroach, or if that's too big for your pea sized brain, then to try and steal."

"Yeah? Well I don't need to impinge on anything." Puck sneered. "You don't have any claim on him, do you? And I'm pretty damn sure that he's not fucking you or anything."

"That's enough." Harry said, interrupting whatever Kurt had been about to say. "I have rules about language and manners in this house."

"You sound like a fucking old man." Puck growled, but blushed when Harry lifted an eyebrow at him. "Sorry."

"Kurt?"

"Sorry." Kurt muttered more to Harry than Puck. He knew Harry didn't like fighting. Kurt and his father had gotten into a nastier argument about Kurt's hours at Harry's once and the other boy had pulled them both aside individually later and asked them not to fight in his home.

"And Noah, I may have taken care of you when you were drunk, but that doesn't mean I'm volunteering to be a babysitter."

Kurt had heard his father say something about Harry's night out being ruined by Puck, but not gotten the details. Now he wished he had.

"It's just for the night. My mom's got a guy there and the people that would normally take her for me are on holidays."

"What about Finn's?" Kurt couldn't help but ask. Hadn't they started getting along again?

"He's still not completely over the babygate." Puck shrugged and looked pleadingly at Harry. "I've got nowhere else for her to go."

Harry was going to crack, Kurt could see it. The boy was an absolute sucker for sob stories. "Okay. BUT, but…" Harry quickly added as Puck was letting out a 'yessss', "You're here with her. I'm not babysitting. I'm just providing a room for you two to sleep in. Teddy's sick, so he's really cranky when he's up. I won't have time to keep her entertained."

"I've got us all set." Puck picked up the black duffel bag he'd apparently brought in and opened it. A lap top, movies, some games and clothes. "You won't have to worry about anything."

"Harry the water's boiling!" Puck's sister called from the kitchen.

Harry winced, cocking his head to listen and then sighed gratefully when Teddy didn't wake up screaming. "Indoor voices, Sarah. We need to use indoor voices especially when the baby is sleeping."

"Did you even try to find anyone else?" Kurt asked when Harry left the room.

Puck had that 'I got away with something grin' of his. "Fuck no. The guy has spare rooms in his big clean house. He can cook. He even has a kid. That makes him fucking Annie homemaker. Why would I settle for second best?"

"You don't even know him and you were going to drop your sister off here and, what, leave?" He'd noticed that all the clothing was definitely feminine and child-sized.

"He's friends with you isn't he? And he took care of me when I was drunk."

"Yes. What exactly happened, may I ask? "

Puck shrugged. "I was so wasted I don't even remember. I just remember waking up here. The guy's cool."

"Mates," Harry poked his head into the room. "Aren't you coming? Tea's on."

Tea was uncomfortable. Kurt glared at Puck who was downing the plate of granola bars Harry had set out. Pucks sister kept glancing at her brother before giving monosyllabic answers to Harry's attempt at conversation. It was so bad that Harry looked practically relieved when the baby monitor went off.

"Noah, I'm bored." Sarah complained after a few minutes of awkward silence. "What's there to do?"

"I have a very big backyard." Harry came into the room carrying a fussy looking Teddy. "And a whack load of balls and things if you and your brother want to play a game."

"Aren't you gonna play?" Sarah asked.

"Maybe next time." Harry got a bottle out of the fridge and started warming it up in water on the stovetop. "Teddy's sick and he won't even let Kurt hold him today."

"Mary's sister was like that last time I was over." Sarah nodded, "Her mom said that Anna, that's my friend Mary's sister, doesn't like anyone but her daddy to hold her when she's cranky."

"Why don't you go out and play with Noah for a while then?" Harry offered. "By the time you're done Mrs. Hobart, my neighbor, should be home. She just got a new puppy."

Sarah squealed like the little girl she was before pulling Noah out the back.

"You're never going to get rid of them now," Kurt noted as his friend started boxing up the rest of the treats.

"How do you figure that?"

"Oh please," Kurt sniffed. Looking out the window he could see Puck pulling out a soccer ball from the chest against the patio. His sister had already taken off her shoes to mark one set of goals. "Whenever Puck needs a babysitter he's going to be dropping her off with an overnight bag like he'd planned on doing today."

Harry shrugged. "As long as he's here with her. I don't really mind, I guess. Sounds like he's having a bit of a rough time of it lately."

Kurt snorted, but couldn't disagree. "Just don't let him leave to go get something. Or else he'll disappear until it's time to pick her up."

"Oh don't you worry. I'm well aware. Fortunately I filched his keys." Harry smirked wickedly, holding up a set.

"When?"

"It's not my fault he left them in his jacket." Tossing them up and catching them a few times, looking very smug. Harry stashed them into his own pocket before going to get the bottle, testing it on his inner arm and then set to feeding Teddy.

* * *

Author's note: And I'm back! Expect weekly updates from now on.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I am a sad, poor person with nothing to their name.

* * *

Puck had to say that staying over at Harry's for the night was one of his better ideas. The guy was freaking awesome!

After they got tired of amusing themselves with the soccer ball, Harry already had his neighbor over so Sarah could play with the goofiest golden retriever puppy. And then there was the food. Harry not only made kosher, but blintzes. Blintzes almost as good as his nana makes.

"Oh God, Harry." Puck moaned biting into the cheesy goodness. "We only get these on holidays."

"Oh." Harry frowned, "But that's okay right? You're allowed to have them during the regular year? I wasn't sure, but I learned how to make these when I was little because my cousin tried it at a friends' house and really liked them."

"Its' fine," Puck assured him, "it's just that no one is willing to go through the effort of making them except on holidays."

"Oh, good." Harry passed a bowl of tzimmes (stewed vegetables) over. "I made the matzo balls completely vegetarian. I wasn't completely sure about meat broth and cheese."

"It's probably ok. Mom doesn't seem to care." Puck shrugged, took a tentative bite of the matzo ball in the small bowl the soup was served in, then promptly stole several more. Harry was a really good cook. "Are you going to be a chef or something?"

"What?"

"The food's freaking awesome."

"It's really good Harry," Sarah piped up. "I don't usually like matzo balls, but yours are really good."

"Thank-you."

Puck didn't say that Sarah didn't like his mom's matzo balls because the woman always made huge balls that never soaked in all the liquid from the canned soup stock and were dry. Harry had small matzo balls and actual vegetables in the soup as well.

After an afternoon spent in his house, Sarah had warmed up to the Brit, regaling him with stories from the week long summer camp she just came back from. She even expressed interest in Teddy, who was feeling a bit better and was willing to sit in his chair at the table while Harry and, for a few tries, Sarah fed him. He only endeared himself to her more when he allowed her to trounce him at snakes and ladders by looking the other way when she cheated a bit and then read to her from a weird book of European fairy tales. Normally Sarah was too old for that stuff, but since Harry was reading to Teddy anyways it wasn't like she was losing any face for listening. Puck wouldn't admit it, but he was stuck on the same page in his sports illustrated for an hour.

"Do you want to sleep in the same room or you can use mine?" Harry offered when Sarah was getting ready for bed.

"Where will you sleep?" Because, honestly, Sarah kicked in her sleep.

"Teddy's got a bed in his room. It's comfortable enough."

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to kick anyone out of their own room.

"Of course, I just changed the sheets, so the bed's clean." Harry smiled, "Do you have anything to sleep in?"

"I'm good in my shorts." He half expected the guy to offer him pj's or something, but he just nodded. "Are you just going to read again?" It was only nine and there was no way he was going to bed this early.

"You play poker?" Apparently Harry heard the JUST very clearly.

"I've played," Puck didn't say that he was a bit of a card shark. "Bets?"

"Loser makes breakfast." Green eyes twinkled. "I've got eggs and sausage in the cold-box er-the fridge."

"No way man," Puck led the way back to the kitchen after saying goodnight to his sister. "Pancakes." He didn't know what the guy put in them, but they were better than he'd ever had. And whatever that syrup was, imported crap from the looks of it, it was awesome.

It didn't take long for Puck to realize that he was very likely cooking breakfast in the morning. If he wasn't the one dealing half the time, he'd be sure that the guy was cheating. No way was anyone that lucky that often. If Puck got two pair, Harry got a pair and a three of a kind. If Puck managed four of a kind, Harry got a Royal flush.

"Fuck being a chef," Puck said after he lost half of his remaining toothpicks. "You could make millions in Las Vegas. And it's a night job, so you could hang with your kid during the day."

"Nah," Harry shrugged as he starting shuffling the cards to re-deal. It was pretty awesome to see. He did that flicking the cards from one hand to another, the spreading the cards out on the table and turning them over and this weird double fan that was probably only to show off a little. "I'd probably have a winning streak for about two hours before losing everything."

"Pff. As if. You probably count cards or something." Which would totally explain Puck's losing streak and Harry's skills.

"No," Harry laughed when Puck said so. "I'm just really lucky with cards. It got so no one would play with me."

"That sucks dude."

"I've never been so good at things like chess or board games. So I played those things a lot."

"Are you, uh, going to work or anything? Like ever?"

"Probably," Harry shrugged. "I'm upgrading through correspondence right now. Next year I'll take a few classes online. School's not really my thing, but neither is sitting around doing nothing."

"So you, like, didn't do so good in school?" Puck could relate, though mostly it was just him not bothering to try.

"I did alright," Harry was quiet for a minute. "You won't let this get around?" Puck nodded. "You know the terrorist bombings and all that back in the U.K?" Puck nodded. He'd not really paid attention to it, but it was on the news and stuff. "My school was rich and preppy. We were the last place to get hit before they got the guy in charge. But they're rebuilding the school now. A bunch of my friends are taking a year off and going back next year or going to a new school this fall for their last semester, but I figured I might as well just do it while I'm over here."

"Shit." And Puck had just thought the guy dropped out to take care of his baby when the momma didn't want him. Now it looked like she probably was dead or something. He was curious, but unlike most of the rest of the kids he knew, Puck didn't pry where he knew he wasn't welcome. Best to change the subject.

"So…" think Puck, think! "What's up with you and Hummel?"

"Sr. or junior?"

"Either."

"They're my friends. Good people. They've been helping me out a lot."

"But you know that Hum-er Kurt is like in love with you, right?" Shit. Way to switch the subject Puck. Now the guy was probably going to go all weird or something.

"I think Burt's talked to Kurt about that."

What?

"What?"

"I'm a dad," Harry shrugged. "And even if I was interested in dating, which I'm not, he's really not my type."

"Cause he's a guy."

"Because he's high maintenance." Harry corrected with a grin, "All the girls I've dated were athletic and really into doing dangerous stupid stuff. Like me. Kurt doesn't like to sweat or get dirty. I bet if a teacher yells at him he does what he's told to do. I managed to get the most detentions ever recorded in my fifth year, and I know a pair of twins who spent their schooldays testing out pranks that they later sold in their prank shop. I don't mind the singing and dancing, but I've got two left feet and I'm pretty close to tone deaf."

"So you don't care that he's a guy." Puck said, "just that he's a prissy guy. Er… you never said anything about dating guys… are you…?"

"I had a bit of a crush on my best mates' older brother once." Harry kept his eyes on Pucks, "I'd still be tempted if he showed any interest."

"So you're…bi?"

"If you need to call it something, I guess."

"And you're attracted to reckless jock types."

"Noah," Harry smirked a bit. "If you're asking if I'm interested, do it when there isn't your sister upstairs and a sick baby in the house."

Puck swallowed deeply a few times until he noticed Harry's smirk getting wider. "You dick! You just said that to freak me out."

Harry laughed before sobering up a little. "Not about the crush on Charlie though."

"It's fine. The Puckmeister is too macho to care about you fantasizing about some other macho dude. He was macho, right?"

"Think dragon handler."

"Dragon Handler?"

"This is Ohio, right. Bull Rider? Lots of muscles. And he works with dangerous animals."

Puck decided not to tell him that most Bull Riders weren't really that muscular, but he got the picture. "What kind of animals?"

"Dragons. He's working on a reserve in Indonesia right now. Has to be really fit because the suckers are really fast for short bursts of time."

"Dude," Puck whistled, thinking what he knew about Komodo dragons. Don't they spit acid or something? The guy probably had one of the deadliest jobs on the planet.

Things couldn't be left just like that. Puck, conceding the game, forced Harry to go find a picture of this god among men.

"This him?" Puck asked, looking at the picture of a redheaded family. "The guy in the middle?" He had long hair, earrings and a scarred face. Like he'd been bit. The girl next to him was hot, though. Hotter than hot. If she ever came to visit his friend, Puck would be hard pressed not to try and do her. Harry was in the photo, with his arm around the only girl besides the bride and the mum. He looked really happy and a lot younger, even though it was probably from last year.

"No, that's Bill. He was a treasure hunter of sorts in Egypt for a while, but now he works for a bank." Harry pointed at another man on the opposite side of the picture from where Harry was standing with the girl. "That's Charlie."

The red headed guy was shorter than Bill, but definitely much more muscular. He looked like he should be on the cover of playgirl or something. Even from the distance the photo was taken, Puck could see serious muscle definition. "Dude, I don't know if this counts as a crush worthy of making you gay. I'd do him and I get more action than anybody."

Harry just laughed.

* * *

Author's note: New chapter this week. As promised. To those waiting for Secret Strength to continue, I've finally got an idea for the next chapter that works. I just have to get it written.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Kurt didn't really know what he was doing here. All right, he was watching a hockey game, but besides that he didn't know what he was doing here. He didn't like being cold. He didn't like sitting on uncomfortable bench seats. And he really didn't care who won in this charity event of the Columbus Blue Jackets versus Detroit Red Wings hockey game.

When Harry had told him that he'd gotten tickets to go to the game, he'd thought the other boy was asking if his father wanted to go. Kurt had felt a smidgeon of jealousy flair up, but quickly let that go. Harry spent a lot of time with Kurt this summer. Whenever Kurt wasn't working or out with Mercedes, he was over at Harry's house. Or Harry was at the Hummel's house. And he couldn't be angry that Harry wanted to spend time with Burt, could he? Despite knowing that, at heart, Harry was a jock with no real interest in music, dancing or theater, the guy really tried. Just like Kurt knew his father really tried. And he wasn't going to be petty about the two men in his life doing 'men stuff' together.

Of course, Kurt's dad had to ruin his son's inner dialogue when he asked Harry if he'd managed to convince Kurt yet.

"Convince me to what?" Kurt asked. "Babysit?"

"To come to the game." Harry answered, "I got three tickets. Noah's babysitting."

"Wait." Kurt held up a hand. "You're letting Puckerman babysit your son?"

"Sure," Harry glanced back at Burt, looking for a clue as to what the problem was. "So. Hockey. You coming? You can wear your new fancy brand name clothes."

"You want me to go to a hockey game while Puck babysits your son."

"Yeah. We just covered that. He volunteered. The games' in Columbus so you need to start getting ready soon. 'caus you take forever."

"Noah Puckerman volunteered to babysit your son. While you're out of town for a hockey game. You barely trust dad to take care of Teddy for two hours."

"Kurt." Harry rolled his eyes. "Noah will be fine. We'll be gone for six hours at the latest. And I've got someone over to keep an eye on them."

"Who?

"Teddy's Grandmother is coming in for a visit. I told you about that. She should be here by the time we need to leave. I'll introduce you tomorrow. Now get going."

"Ignoring the fact for the moment that you are leaving Puck in the house alone with your son, why would I want to go to a hockey game? Especially if we have to drive all the way to Columbus?"

"Because you're back to school in a week and we won't be able to do this midweek again for months. And this provides excellent bonding time with your father." Burt decided to pitch in from the couch, where he was sitting with a beer.

"You didn't even ask me until last minute." Kurt protested.

"I heard about it on the radio an hour ago and called in to get tickets." Harry started pushing Kurt towards the stairs. "Go, get something expensive on. I don't understand all the rules for ice hockey and your father told me that you do. So you'll have to explain to me so that I don't bother your father."

"He can explain the rules much better than I can." Kurt protested again.

"Father and son bonding."

"Yeah Kurt," Burt added again with a grin. "Father and son bonding. We have to show Harry how it's done so he can be ready in ten years."

Kurt had grumbled and gotten a few more suggestive pushes, but eventually caved. He spent the car ride in the back, completing the summer reading he hadn't gotten around to yet, while Burt filled in Harry on the statistics of both teams.

And now here he was. Sitting in between two sports fans and trying to finish Jane Eyre. It was boring, but still more interesting than the hockey game.

"Oh, look Kurt." Harry grabbed onto him, "the little ones are coming out."

Kurt looked over to the ice and saw that they were between periods. "It's peewee hockey. I wouldn't have thought that they'd get them out for a charity match in August. The season hasn't even begun."

"Kurt used to play." Burt said.

"Really?"

"Really, really." Kurt said drily. "Dad put me in for two years."

"He was really something, skating laps around all the other four year olds," Burt chuckled. "I thought I had a future NHL player. Until he was six and wanted to switch to figure skating."

"Can you do the fancy jumps and things?" Harry asked.

"No, I quit when I was seven." His mom had gotten sick and even if his dad had been willing to keep him in skating, it was a big commitment with twice a week lessons and the pricy costumes that his mom was too sick to sew. Plus there were the dancing lessons and piano lessons. Burt had sat him down and told him that he could choose one. That he could go back to the others after his mother got well. Kurt had chosen piano. After she died, he hadn't gone back even when Burt had offered to sign him up.

"Not even a little jump and twirl?"

"Well," Kirk could help but find Harry's disappointment amusing. "I can do a single axel."

"You should show me." Harry said, "I've never been on a proper rink before and the lake never froze over for very long at my school."

"We'll go this winter." Kurt promised.

"Sweet. Hey, look the big guys are coming out again."

* * *

Author's note: Yay! Some Hummel-Potter action. (Not that kind, you perverts! ;p )


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 12

The next morning, Burt and Kurt invited themselves over for breakfast. Well, Harry had said he'd be up by eight making food, but hadn't actually told the Hummels to go over.

Burt understood at once why Harry had taken over guardianship of his son. Andromeda Tonks was a sweet woman in her mid-fifties at the latest, but she was frail and just so sad. Dressed a black gown that looked like it was from the Victorian age, she looked like she belonged in a photograph titled 'grief'.

"Andromeda," Harry said, bringing the two Hummels into the rarely used dining room. "This is Burt and Kurt Hummel, my neighbors."

"Oh," she gently set down her cup of tea and nodded at them. "How do you do? I am Andromeda Tonks."

Burt stepped forwards and gently took her hand like he remembered doing for his own grandmother when he was little. "Burt." Kurt did the same.

"Sit. Sit. Harry's told me quite a bit about you." She smiled, "You went to a match last night?"

"A hockey game," Burt corrected. "Our team lost."

"That's a shame." Andromeda nodded, "Noah told me that your team had been improving."

"It has," Burt agreed. They'd lost nearly every game ten years ago and now won at least half of them. "But they went up against a very good team. And it was only an exhibition match."

"And you, Kurt," she poured them both a cup of tea in delicate little china cups. "You are still in school?"

"Junior year."

"Yes. Harry told me. Two years left of school. What do you plan to do afterwards?"

"I hope to get into a performing arts school In New York." Kurt said promptly, "and then work on Broadway."

"And if you don't?" She didn't say it to be cruel, you could see she was just curious.

"Design school is also an option for me."

"So you will need a sponsor."

Burt blinked. What?

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"A sponsor dear." She sipped her tea. "After you are done school. Either to get your - was it clothing?-clothing line started. Or, if you manage to break into the entertainment industry, a sponsor for your plays."

"Yes," Kurt said slowly. "I suppose that's true."

"Then you'll have to take deportment lessons."

"Excuse me?"

"Deportment lessons," she said again. "From what Harry tells me, you are a very nice boy. But that won't get the upper archons of society to listen to you."

"Er," Burt coughed. "He's not even finished high school yet. He'll probably take some class when he goes to university."

"It's best if you start early." She replied, "so that it becomes second nature to you."

"Andromeda," Harry came in, setting down a massive tray of breakfast plates. "If Kurt takes deportment lessons now, everyone will think he's a snob. He can learn later."

"Nonsense, Harry." She said as he began dishing out food. Andromeda received a fruit and yogurt bowl, as did Kurt. Burt got pancakes, bacon and eggs, despite Kurt's frown. "Most of your classmates received deportment lessons since they were young."

"Most of my classmates were snobs or else they ignored their deportment lessons."

"Did you get lessons?" Burt asked.

"What?"

"Deportment lessons."

"Oh. Yes. In school. It was a class I had to take."

"Why was it mandatory?" Kurt asked.

"Well it wasn't," Andromeda began, "But Harry-"

"Was an idiot," Harry interjected. "I could barely speak properly without insulting someone. Like Noah. So my teachers recommended I take the course."

Burt saw him shoot a warning glance at Andromeda and her mouth thinned a little, but she nodded. They were obviously hiding something. Burt could see his son glancing between the two as well. Probably wondering why Harry really had to take a deportment course.

"Dude!" Noah Puckerman came in holding Teddy. "Your kid just insulted me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, watch this." He twisted the boy to face him. "Who's the man?" nothing. "Who's the man?" nothing. "who's aunty." Teddy giggled and pointed to Puckerman. "See? He thinks I'm a girl."

"And how did you come up with this fine observation?" Kurt asked, not trying to hide his smile. Teddy recognized Kurt by his title 'Uncle Kurt'.

"I was gonna talk about Sarah." There would have been an insult added if Harry and Andromeda weren't in the room, Burt was sure.

"Don't worry about it Noah." Harry put another plate of pancakes down, presumably where Noah was going to sit. "He's just got two uncles already, don't you Teddy?"

"How come I'm aunty and the sissy boy is uncle?" Noah complained.

"Kurt refers himself as uncle. Sarah called you aunty behind your back the last two times she was here."

"I call myself Uncle!"

"No," Kurt definitely was glad for once that Noah was here. Entertainment. "You call yourself the Puckmeister, the Puckman and Puckzilla."

Noah looked at Teddy, thoughtful frown on his face. "Teddy. Who's the Puckmeister?"

And Teddy pointed to Puck who grinned victoriously. "Genius, Harry. You're son's a genius."

"Teddy's not his son." Andromeda frowned. "He's his godson."

"Andromeda," Harry scowled at her, taking his son from a stunned looking Puck. "We've discussed this. The adoption went through. Teddy's my son."

She opened her mouth to contradict him, but then glanced at the others in the room and pursed her lips instead. "I'm afraid I've grown weary." She patted her mouth and stood. "I think I will have a bit of a lie down. If you'll excuse me gentlemen."

"Dude," Puck started slowly. "He's not your kid?"

"He's my cousin, technically. He and Andromeda are the last of my family. When his parents died, I adopted him."

"She doesn't seem so happy about that."

"Andromeda is sad." Harry said simply. "She lost her husband and daughter within the same year. I think she feels that officially adopting Teddy and giving him my last name means I'm replacing her daughter in his life."

"You gonna tell him he's adopted." Puck asked, curious. "I know this dude who just found out and it totally messed him up."

"Teddy will grow up knowing that his parents loved him. All three of us."

Puck nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Do you need help cleaning up, Harry?" Burt asked, eager to put this awkward moment behind them.

"You could watch Teddy, while Noah and I do the dishes."

"What?" Puck cried, "Why can't Kurt do the dishes? I took care of your kid all last night and this morning too."

"Oh please," Harry rolled his eyes. "I paid you. And I don't have those gloves for Kurt to wear to protect his hands. You don't care about your hands."

Burt caught a pleased smile from his son as he took the baby.

"I do care!" Noah protested. "I just got a manicure done. Look at these nails."

"Broken and dirty?" Harry turned to Kurt. "I've got the stroller ready in the truck if you want to go change, I'm taking Noah home after I finish the dishes."

"You're taking Hummel running?" Puck protested. "What about me?"

"You have to take Sarah for her school things and yours."

"That takes ten minutes. Paper. Pens. Binder. Done."

"Are they always like this?" Burt asked his son, who was twisting around with a squealing Teddy. He could still hear them bickering.

"The last couple of times he's been over." Kurt sighed, looking irritated but accepting. "Puck… likes Harry. I don't know. They've bonded over parenthood or something. Mostly I think Puck likes the fact that Harry takes care of him when he's here. They've known each other three weeks and he's here every other day, mostly with Puck's sister, Sarah."

"Ah," Burt nodded. He could understand that. It was a small town and his kid had been going to school with Puckerman since kindergarten. So he knew a lot about the Puckerman family. Frankly, if Burt wasn't certain who was the bigger pariah in Lima. His gay son, or the bullying delinquent known for underage drinking, vandalism, sleeping with married women twice his age and, most recently, getting his best friend's teenaged girlfriend pregnant.

Kurt got bullied, but no one threw him out of their store before he even stepped fully inside. It wasn't much of a wonder why the kid would like sticking around here.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 13

Puck checked his watched as he was putting away his equipment. It was four o'clock, just enough time to go pick up Sarah from her day camp, head home to clean up and then go mooch off Harry for supper. The Morrison family going on vacation and his nana getting sick was probably the best thing to happen to him this summer.

Puck hadn't known what to do. His mom was drunk with a man over, that wouldn't have been any reason for alarm, but they'd been getting hot and heavy in the living room. Puck definitely didn't want Sarah accidentally seeing that after the drunkards managed to get their clothes off. Especially because it hadn't been even five yet and how could you expect a six year old to stay in her hot stuffy room in the middle of summer? He hadn't lied to Kurt. There had been other options, like calling Sarah's friends to see if she could have a sleep over. There were also a few people who could look after her, but only as a last resort. So Puck had packed a bag for the both of them, just in case, and headed off to see the only decent guy he knew that had his own place.

He'd never admit it, but he'd been pretty nervous showing up at Harry's house like that. Puck had half-expected for the Brit to just close the door in his face like Hummel clearly wanted to do. Instead Harry had invited Sarah in for food, even remembering her name, and then gone back to talk with Puck. There'd been no yelling, no begging or pleading. He'd made them feel welcome and, in the morning, Harry had invited them back. Nobody did that.

When Puck had shown up again with Sarah two days later, the man just opened his door and let them in. Puck was a bit worried that he was going over too often, like Hummel said, but he was good at reading people and Harry didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed like he enjoyed having them over, always looking up new Jewish recipes to try on them. He'd told Nona about him when he'd taken her to temple on Saturday and she brought out one of her old Jewish cookbooks to give him 'for taking care of her grandkids'.

"Puck," Mrs. Matthews came onto the deck wearing a bathrobe, looking like she'd just come from some photo shoot or something.

"Mrs. M." Puck appreciatively raked her form. Normally the woman would watch him work out by the pool, but her husband was home and so she'd stayed inside. "You're in fine form today."

"Thank-you Puck," she pulled an envelope from her pocket and slowly drew it up her body to rest in her massive cleavage. "Matt has a meeting tonight."

"Mrs. M." Puck hummed low, leaning forwards to brush his lips just at the edge of her cheek before snagging the envelope. "You know I'd give up almost anything for you…"

"Except?" she raised one finely trimmed eyebrow.

"Now that would be telling," Puck grinned wolfishly, letting her come up with an excuse on her own. She'd called him last minute even though he'd been here last week. Truthfully, he hadn't really felt like coming, but couldn't think of a reason not to. She paid well and could do things with her tongue that put Santana's well-used mouth to shame. Still, he'd felt a little relieved when her husband had shown up just a few minutes before him.

His mom was home when he got there. Tuesday was one of her nights off waitressing.

"You going out tonight?" he asked, heading to the kitchen to grab a can of coke. Sarah was already running to the bathroom to take a shower to rid herself of all the sand and chlorine from today.

"No," his mom sighed, lighting a cigarette. She'd been really pretty once, but stress and alcohol had worn away at her so she looked nearly fifty instead of thirty-six. She ran stained fingers through her grey streaked black hair. "I was gonna make supper. You staying?"

"Nope," Puck felt a little sorry for abandoning Sarah, but his mom was obviously in one of her mothering moods. She'd clearly already cleaned the kitchen and the living room. She'd get upset if at least one of her children didn't choke down whatever she made to eat. And it's not like he'd told Sarah he was planning on going to Harry's tonight. "I'm out."

"You coming back tonight?"

"Probably not." Puck hesitated for a minute, but left it at that. Grabbing a gym bag packed with a couple of changes of clothes, he gave his mom a kiss on the cheek on the way out the door and reminded her to follow the directions on whatever box she was making for supper. The woman could barely make toast, honestly.

Hummel was just leaving when he pulled up.

"Puck," Hummel's face twisted into that snotty expression that always made him want to beat the boy up. Really. He could care less that the guy liked dick, it was the way Kurt looked at Puck as though he were a bug that needed squishing.

"What's the word today, Hummel?"

"What?"

"The daily insult," or nag. Hummel really liked to nag.

"Whatever," Hummel shook his head and then took up prissy scolding pose number one. Right hand up, index finger pointed, left hand on hip which is slightly jutted forwards to compensate for the single bent knee. "Don't touch his song lists, Puckerman. I've put hours and hours of effort into Harry's education and you're not going to screw it up by convincing him Metallica is the only music worth listening to."

"That's what you're mad about?" Puck laughed. When he'd seen the music Harry had on his ipod, he'd brought his laptop and given the man some real music to listen to. None of that top 40's shit. "You're just pissy because he likes my music better."

"He does not!" Hummel squealed.

"He does." Otherwise Hummel wouldn't be nearly this upset. But, really, Harry was a man's man. If you ignored the cooking, cleaning, baby minding and general politeness (the last could be explained away by the fact that he's British), Harry was really all that it was to be masculine. He had a nice set of pipes, if not as nice as Pucks, he liked sports and he dressed like a man when he didn't let Hummel bully him into something sissy looking. There was also this time Puck had gone with Harry and Hummel to the grocery store to get some snacks and someone had totally started in on Hummel being a fag and Harry went totally badass. The guy had been railing into Hummel, when Harry had stood in front of the gay boy, looking like some sort of sociopathic killer with a baby strapped to his chest. The creep had back off and even freaking ran out of the store. Yeah, Harry was man's man. A total badass. Of course he'd like Puck's music better than the girly shit Hummel listens to.

"Just leave his iPod alone, Puckerman." Hummel yelled, stomping off across the street.

Puck was still chuckling when Harry met him at the door.

"What was that about?"

"He's pissed that you like my music better than his music."

"That's untrue," Harry said, but wasn't looking Puck in the eyes. "I like a lot of Kurt's music. It's just…"

"I get it, man." And he did. Girly shit.

"So what brings you here today, Puck?" Harry asked, closing the door behind them as Puck kicked off his shoes.

"Just slummin'." Puck shrugged.

Harry took in the bag tossed casually to the ground. "Here for the night?"

"Yeah, if that's alright?" Puck licked his lips, realizing he probably should have asked this weeks ago. "Do you… uh…. You don't mind me coming over here all the time, right?"

"Of course I don't," Harry tilted his head, looking like a confused puppy. "I'd have said something if I didn't like you coming over. Why? Did Kurt say something?"

"No!" After that first day, Kurt really didn't try to stop Puck from coming over or anything, just got a bit bitchy if it interrupted the plans he had with Harry. "No reason, really. Just making sure."

"Okay?'

"Yeah." Eager to be on a new subject, Puck pulled the small book out of his pocket. "So… er… my Nona said you shouldn't learn Jewish recipes from the internet or wherever you're getting them. So here."

Puck held out the battered recipe book. It was in rough shape with half its pages nearly falling out, the white floral cover looked grey and the coil binding was broken in a couple places.

"You… told your Nona about me?" Harry asked, taking the recipe book.

"Sarah did," Puck muttered, already feeling embarrassed about this whole thing.

"Sarah doesn't care about kosher meals," a slow mischievous smile formed on Harry's face. "Noah… you like me."

"What? No i-" but Harry had already thrown himself at Puck, clutching the cookbook to his chest, Harry draped himself over the younger man, sighing dramatically and then fake sobbing.

"You luuuuuurrrrve me. You love me so much that you told your nona about me. You really love me."

"Do not," Puck growled, a blush forcing its way up his neck as he half-heartedly tried to push Harry off of him.

"Don't be shy, Noah," Harry crooned. "When do I get to meet her? Did you tell her about my dashing good looks first or my right hook?"

"I told her I know a guy learning to cook Kosher." Puck finally managed to push the guy off of him. Harry settled onto the couch, cackling madly as he skimmed through the book. "That's it!"

"Nu uh," Harry flipped the book around so that Puck could see the pages, some of which were hand written. "These are family recipes in here. You had to talk about me all the time for her to give this up."

"It's just a recipe book." He shouldn't have given it to him. Noah didn't even know why he did. It wasn't like his nona was ever going to meet Harry. Probably.

"Admit it you love me," Harry said flipping through the pages before stopping and looking over at Puck like he'd already won. "And… I'll make Noah's fritters."

Puck's mouth watered. Noah's fritters was something his nona had created just for him when he was little. He hadn't had them since his dad left – it took a few years before his mom was willing for her kids to be in contact with the mother of the man who left her six months pregnant and ridiculously in debt. And by then his nona didn't cook much, mostly sticking to a few traditional recipes when she did.

"So….?" Harry waved the book back and forth. "Love me?"

"Harry," Puck licked his lips. "I'll tell you anything you want if you make me those."

"Noah," Harry cackled. "You're so easy."

* * *

Author's note:

This isn't the the start of a romance. Really. I haven't gotten too far ahead of posting yet, but there is definitely only solidifying friendships for the next few chapters. To the question regarding adoption in the last chapter; I made it up. There wasn't anyone specific in the show Glee that fell apart because they found out they were adopted.

Thank-you for your kind reviews. I'm sorry about the mix up with Andy's name last chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Kurt exited his English class, keeping a wary eye out for any jocks. First day back and he hadn't gotten slushied yet or even thrown against his lockers. He wanted to keep it that way, but wasn't getting his hopes up.

"Hey Boo."

"Mercedes," Kurt looped an arm around hers. "I think we should treat ourselves to a shopping spree in commiseration of our first day back in the glory that is Mckinley."

"Aren't you hanging out with your new best friend?"

"Who?"

"The British baby daddy."

"Harry?" Kurt could see her nod, looking a bit grumpy. "I haven't been neglecting you, have I?"

"A little. You were always over at his house this summer."

"Oh. Mercedes. " Kurt sighed, pulling her along for some tater-tots to pick her up. He only grimaced a little when she ordered extra. The girl delighted in all things unhealthy, whilst Kurt didn't even buy anything preferring his vegetarian no-noodle eggplant lasagna which only used a little ricotta on top for flavor. Harry had found the recipe and Kurt's father actually wanted second helpings.

Lunch was a bit of a flop. Sitting with the other glee kids to find out what their summers had been. Instead of getting the good gossip, he spent his time perking Mercedes up. Of course she was still his best friend. Girl friend. But it was really nice to spend time with a boy for once. To have a guy friend that didn't mind the fact that he was very tactile. Kurt didn't care about sports and Harry didn't know anything about music or theater or even cars, but he was curious. Especially about the cars. And he actually paid attention.

Artie and Tina were acting a bit weird and he wondered what was going on. Santana and Britney swung by to say hi (Britney) and insult them (Santana). The most disgusting thing was Rachel and Finn making moon eyes at each other. Finn, Kurt readily admit, had gotten cuter. And taller. Possibly more muscular. Kurt's heart did a little pitter-pat when the guy smiled at him awkwardly and said 'hey'. Despite his father and Finn's mother dating, he hadn't seen the other boy at all this summer. Luckily, that time had been spent with a boy that, while not as tall as Finn, was cuter with big green eyes and easy smile. His muscles were less bulky than Finn's but much more defined. And Harry would never walk by when someone was getting bullied. Harry wouldn't just blow up at Kurt for being Kurt and calling everything that Kurt touched faggy. Yes, most of his feelings for Finn had died that day, Harry seems to have finished off the rest. But the boy was still cute.

It was just nearing the end of Lunch when he called Harry to let him know that he was going to the mall after school.

"Do you need me to pick anything up for you?"

"Jerky, those strips, not the flat stuff."

"Ugh" Kurt stuck his tongue out, shifting his phone to his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear while he unlocked his locker. His father had introduced Harry to the beef jerky sold in the small butcher shop next to the mall. For Teddy to teeth on. "I can't believe you think that a high fat, high salt hunk of meat is good for your son."

He could practically see Harry looking sheepish yet unapologetic. "It beats having those half eaten soggy cookies laying around the house. And he doesn't like those teething rings you got him."

"Of course he doesn't, if you offer him ridiculously unhealthy alternatives." Kurt grumbled, "I-"

"What's up fag?" was all the warning he got before cherry slushy was thrown into his face, followed shortly by a blue raspberry.

"Kurt? Kurt?" he could hear Harry calling out to him as he breathed heavily to try and control his anger.

"Hi Harry."

"Kurt? What happened?"

"Oh nothing." Kurt slammed his locker shut and made his way to the washroom. "Just a first day slushy."

"Slushy?"

"It's nothing. I've got to go. Class is starting. I'll pick up the jerky and give it to you tonight."

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Author's note: Sorry about the delay! Happy New Year! Thank you for your reviews.


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